Pope Francis said that the Constitution and the postconciliar Magisterium “have made us better understand the liturgy in light of divine revelation” and said that Christ is the protagonist of every liturgical celebration. Quoting the Constitution, Pope Francis said that “in the liturgy the whole public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and His members.”

Citing St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the Pontiff then spoke of the importance of “true spiritual worship” in which the faithful offer themselves as a living sacrifice. A liturgy “detached from spiritual worship,” he said, might seem “almost magical” and have “an empty aestheticism.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI, he added that the liturgy transforms Christians from within. (Feburary 21, 2014)